Aims of RIDERS

The RIDERS project was funded by the EPSRC and ran until September 2014 (with a further extension until April 2015). The main aims of the project were:

To bring together network members in the UK and Europe, through hosting three annual RIDERS events/workshop until September 2014. Invitation to attend these was by the website or email. Securing your place at an event/workshop was on a first come first served basis. The exception being guest speakers who were asked to speak from amongst the network members. A typical event accommodated 25 people and was presentation based, with guest speakers. A workshop accommodated 15 people and involved hands on activities within the group.

RIDERS supported members in application for exchange visits to innovative labs/studios in academia or the industry; where researchers could explore different contexts and disciplines of interactive drama, role play and storytelling.

In addition, RIDERS supported PhD students to attend conferences to present their work on topics related to RIDERS interests.

In the summer of 2013, RIDERS organised a Live Action Role Play (Larp) research project held at Heriot Watt university. Network members could sign up to be involved in the Larp experience, and be part of the academic research project of evaluating correlations between Interactive story-telling and Larp.

In the final year of the RIDERS project (summer 2014), invitation went out to our RIDERS network to attend an Interactive Storytelling Summer School. This had a longer duration, more expert speakers and initially targeted PHD students.

We grew the network throughout the three years, by engaging with relevant partners within academia and the wider industry; such as the creative industries in entertainment (game development studios), services (serious game developers); publishing and content creation for digital (cinema) and interactive (on-line graphic novel and comics), printed media and telecommunication and broadcasting (TV).

To collate an interactive storytelling book with a cross discipline team of IS writers (ongoing).